Against the Odds
by Sheba the Lone Wolf
Summary: Since the "bird incident", Leara has not cared for Toboe. But, how will she feel when he risks his own life to save hers when her home suddenly bursts into flames? Toboe/Leara. One-shot.


**Disclaimer: Sheba the Lone Wolf does not own Wolf's Rain. **

**Pairings: Toboe/Leara. **

**Against the Odds **

The sky was black with thick billows of smoke rising from the burning home. Tongues of flame licked the walls and traveled upward to overcome the photographs and paintings that had been hung and the curtains that hung over the ash-flecked windows. Among the flames, Leara laid, huddled against an aged recliner in the center of the room.

She coughed and buried her face in her brown coat, desperate to escape the smoke that threatened to kill her from lack of oxygen. With eyes wide with fear, she silently pleaded that she would be spared and survive the fire. She had no way of escape, unless a hero was brave enough to venture inside and attempt her rescue. The door was coated with intense, red flames; the windows were hopeless, flanked by burning curtains.

"Daddy…," Leara coughed. From outdoors, she could hear her father shouting her name in terror and knew that someone must have been holding him back from the burning house, telling him that the fire was too dangerous for anyone to venture back inside.

Tears spilled down her face as the flames grew closer to where she laid, helpless in the center of the room among a ring of fire. She pulled her knees to her chest, making herself smaller. Leara held back sobs, which she knew would only make her death arrive faster. The flames crackled as they overcame the entire household, a burning mass among the snow, and the smoke hung heavily in the air. Gasping for breath, she fainted.

The window exploded, shattered glass falling into the flames. A wolf with a coat two tones of brown crawled across the carpet, whimpering as tongues of flame burnt him. With a soft cry, he found his way to where Leara laid and, finding no possible way to carry her in the form of a wolf, disguised himself as an auburn-haired boy to lift her into his arms and carry her, painfully, through the flames and out the broken window, the shards of glass clinging to the window frame leaving narrow gashes on his legs as he struggled to escape.

An ambulance had been summoned, though it seemed pointless beforehand, and Leara was taken from Toboe's arms and carried into the vehicle. Black smudges stained Toboe's face, ashes rested on his clothes, and his body throbbed from his burns and the cuts he received from the window. And, so, he was taken to the hospital with Leara.

* * *

There had been a miracle; Leara had escaped the fire with the help of Toboe. Within a matter of hours, she was up and walking around the hospital with her father, eating dinner in the cafeteria before returning to her room. Her father sat on the edge of the bed with her.

"You were lucky," her father said. "No one was brave enough to go into a burning building to save you, except for a boy about your age. He showed up and managed to get inside before anyone could stop him. He saved your life, Leara."

"Where is he now?" Leara asked. "Could I meet him?"

Her father's expression was grim. He heaved a sigh and frowned.

"They're not sure if he's going to make it," he replied.

"What happened to him?" Leara inquired.

"Well, apparently, he broke a window with something so he could enter the building and was cut up pretty badly on the glass. But, his burns are serious. His torso was burnt badly; the doctors think he crawled on the floor to reach you," he explained.

"Can I still see him?" she asked. Her father nodded and stood, leading her down the hall and into the room where Toboe was held. He laid on the bed in silence, whimpering as he examined the IV attached to his wrist. Leara gasped and he looked up, his eyes clouded and sorrowful. Whining, he rolled onto his back. There were thick layers of bandages around his torso.

"Toboe…," Leara whispered. He smiled weakly.

"Leara, I'm sorry," Toboe whimpered.

"About what?" she inquired. "Why should you be worried about apologizing for accidentally killing my bird? You made a mistake; I can forgive you. I was terrified of you, but now I see that you never meant any harm to my bird, or to me. I would be dead right now if it wasn't for you."

"Thank you," Toboe whispered. His voice was soft, almost inaudible. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Leara, jumpily, rested her hand on Toboe's head to stroke and caress his auburn hair. He smiled.

"Why haven't I seen you around?" Leara asked.

"I wasn't here. I'm only passing through; my friends are probably worried and waiting for me somewhere inside the city, if they haven't already decided to leave," Toboe replied. He looked worried.

"Are your friends wolves too?" she inquired. He gave a feeble nod in reply and leaned into her hand. She smiled and continued to pet him.

"But, I don't want to go," Toboe said. "I've never did anything but slowed them down; they'll be fine without me."

"But, if you don't go with the other wolves, where will you go?" she asked. He licked her hand and closed his eyes to rest, a soft smile on his face.

"I want to be with you."

**A/N: I like how this rewrite turned out; it's much better than the original. A friend of mine is planning on writing a Toboe/Leara fiction with me, but I didn't think she'd be interested in doing a few rewrites, so I decided to do them alone. I hope they don't mind. Please review. **

**~Sheba~**


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